Mississippi Army National Guard
The Mississippi Army National Guard is the Army National Guard component of the Mississippi National Guard. It was originally formed in 1798. It is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization. National coordination of various state National Guard units are maintained through the National Guard Bureau. The Mississippi Army National Guard maintains 97 armories in 93 communities. When National Guard troops are called to federal service, the President serves as Commander-in-Chief. The federal mission assigned to the National Guard is: "To provide properly trained and equipped units for prompt mobilization for war, National emergency or as otherwise needed." The Governor may call individuals or units of the Mississippi National Guard into state service during emergencies or to assist in special situations which lend themselves to use of the National Guard. The state mission assigned to the National Guard is: "To provide trained and disciplined forces for domestic emergencies or as otherwise provided by state law." Mississippi Army National Guard units are trained and equipped as part of the United States Army. The same ranks and insignia are used and National Guardsmen are eligible to receive all United States military awards. The Mississippi Guard also bestows a number of state awards for local services rendered in or to the state of Mississippi. Units and Formations ]] *155th Heavy Brigade Combat Team (HQ Tupelo, MS) **1st Squadron, 98th Cavalry (RSTA) **1st Battalion, 155th Infantry Regiment (HQ McComb) **2nd Battalion, 198th Armor (HQ Senatobia)Globalsecurity.org, 155th Armored Brigade (Heavy) (Separate), accessed May 2009. The 2nd Battalion, 198th Armor Regiment (HQ Senatobia) and used to serve as part of the brigade, but was disbanded as part of the current modular reorganization. **2nd Battalion, 114th Field Artillery **106th Brigade Support Battalion **155th Brigade Special Troops Battalion *1st Battalion, 204th Air Defense Artillery (HQ Newton)]] *184th Transportation Brigade *185th Combat Aviation Brigade *66th Troop Command *114th Area Support Group *168th Engineer Brigade *154th Infantry Regiment (RTI) *Co D 1-159th Aviation *1387th Quartermaster Company (Water Supply) - Leland *Det 16 OP SPT AIRLIFT (OSA) *47th WMD Civil Support Team *1687th Transportation Company Duties National Guard units can be mobilized at any time by presidential order to supplement regular armed forces, and upon declaration of a state of emergency by the governor of the state in which they serve. Unlike Army Reserve members, National Guard members cannot be mobilized individually (except through voluntary transfers and Temporary DutY Assignments TDY), but only as part of their respective units. However, there has been a significant amount of individual activations to support military operations (2001-?); the legality of this policy is a major issue within the National Guard. Active Duty Callups For much of the final decades of the twentieth century, National Guard personnel typically served "One weekend a month, two weeks a year", with a portion working for the Guard in a full-time capacity. The current forces formation plans of the US Army call for the typical National Guard unit (or National Guardsman) to serve one year of active duty for every three years of service. More specifically, current Department of Defense policy is that no Guardsman will be involuntarily activated for a total of more than 24 months (cumulative) in one six year enlistment period (this policy is due to change 1 August 2007, the new policy states that soldiers will be given 24 months between deployments of no more than 24 months, individual states have differing policies). History The Mississippi Army National Guard was originally formed in 1798. The Militia Act of 1903 organized the various state militias into the present National Guard system. See History of the United States National Guard for a more complete history of the guard at a national level. Mississippi's State Defense Force, the Mississippi State Guard, is a military entity authorized by both the State Code of Mississippi and executive order. The State Defense Force (SDF) is the state’s authorized militia and assumes the state mission of the Mississippi National Guard in the event the Guard is mobilized. This force is federally recognized, but are separate from the National Guard and are not meant to be federalized. The SDF comprises retired active and reserve military personnel and selected professional persons who volunteer their time and talents in further service to their state. Notes References *Mississippi National Guard, accessed 25 Nov 2006 *GlobalSecurity.org Mississippi Army National Guard, accessed 25 Nov 2006 *Unit Designations in the Army Modular Force, accessed 23 Nov 2006 Category:Military in Mississippi